DREAM TEAMS

Oprah and Ava DuVernay are Teaming Up Again. . . This Time for Television

Two weeks after Ava DuVernaywas overlooked by the Academy, for her awe-inspiring work directing the Martin Luther King Jr. biopic Selma, the filmmaker has chosen a new project that will re-unite her with Selma producer and co-star Oprah Winfrey.

DuVernay and Winfrey will co-create a drama series based on Natalie Baszile’s 2014 novel, Queen Sugar, about an African American woman who unexpectedly inherits a sugarcane farm in Louisiana, and uproots her daughter from Los Angeles so that the mother and daughter can return to their Southern roots. DuVernay will write, direct, and executive produce the series, which will air on Winfrey’s OWN network reports Variety. And Winfrey, who had a supporting role in Selma, will reportedly have a recurring role on the series.

In a statement, Winfrey said, “I loved this book and immediately saw it as a series for OWN. The story’s themes of reinventing your life, parenting alone, family connections and conflicts, and building new relationships are what I believe will connect our viewers to this show.”

DuVernay also released her own comment: “From the moment I was introduced to the book, I was captivated by the idea of a modern woman wrestling with identity, family, culture and the echoes of history. To bring this kind of storytelling to life alongside Oprah for her network is wildly wonderful.”

According to Variety, the series will begin production later this year.